Match book holder



July 18, 1944; c. J. DONOVAN MATCH BOOK HOLDER Filed'Aug. 31, 1945INVENTOR. [brneliws JflOMV M/ BY Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATESPATENT -OFFICE MATCH BOOK HOLDER Cornelius J. Donovan, Yonkers, N. Y.

Application August 31, 1943, Serial No. 500,615

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for attaching a match book to apackage of cigarettes, whereby a smoker will conveniently maintain bothcigarettes and matches together as a unit, with numerous advantagesfollowing from such an arrangement.

One of the inconveniences most often encountered by the cigarette smokeris the mislaying or loss of his match book due to a lack of attachmentor direct connection of the matches with the cigarettes. The smokeroften carries a package of cigarettes in one pocket, and a book ofmatches in another. To light a cigarette, he first withdraws the packageof cigarettes from his pocket, extracts a cigarette from the package,places it between his lips and then restores the package of cigarettesto his pocket. He next starts a search, and often in vain, through hisremaining pockets in an effort to locate a book of matches. Having foundit, he takes it from his pocket, lights the cigarette and then restoresthe match book to his pocket. In many instances, the smoker willcarelessly toss the match book on a table before him and later walk offwithout it so that a subsequent effort to light a cigarette will resultin the discovery that he is without matches. While match books are socarelessly handled and, often mislaid, presumably because they are oftenobtained without cost to the smoker, the cigarettes are more carefullypreserved, so that it is apparent that an arrangement whereby thecigarettes and the matches may be unitarily carried, is of value to thesmoker.

The primary object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide arelatively simple and compact device by means of which a match book maybe securely but detachably affixed to the conventional type of cigarettepackage whereby the matches will always be at hand when it is desired tosmoke, and, in addition, the operations of lighting the cigarette andrestoring the cigarettes and matches to the pocket will be greatlysimplified.

I am aware that prior to this invention, efforts have been made toprovide means by which a match book could be attached to a cigarettepackage, but devices of the prior art have been unsatisfactory for thereasons that the same were bu1ky;fw'ere diflicultto attach to thecigarette package, did not engage the cigarette package eifectively, andparticularly when the package was partly empty, and possessed many otherdeficiencies preventing them from satisfying the needs of the public.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a spring clip whichresiliently engages the package wrapper or covering so that it may beinstantly placed in position on the cigarette package, and which isprovided with a matchbook-engaging loop to hold the match book fiat-'wisely, yet shiftably, against the face of the cigarette package in amanner hereafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, in which anillustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed:

Fig. l is a front view of a package of cigarettes, with the improvedmatch book holder attached thereto; I

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the match book in place with a part ofthe covering of the match book broken away;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a match package, with the match book holder inposition and a portion of the wrapper of the cigarette package tornaway;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the cigarettepackage showing the match book holder in place and holding an open bookof matches;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the match book holder; and

Fig. 6 is a view of a part of the back of the holder, showing the tonguethereon.

The improved match book holder may be made of various materials, such assheet metal, plastic, or the like, andv it may be. made in variousshapes and forms to suit various requirements and to meet differences inthe shape and style of cigarette packages. In the drawing, an mustrativeform of the holder is shown as applied to the conventional paper-wrappedcigarette package, but it will be understood that the holder may bevaried, in many'respects to permit it to be used on all 'the types ofcigarette packages now in use or which may be used in the future.

With reference to the drawing, I indicates a conventional type ofcigarette package containing a numberof cigarettes I I which are Wrappedin an outer wrapping 9 of paper, within which is contained a lining I0.The improved match book holderadapted to be detachably secured to thepackage I is preferably, but not necessarily, stamped or moulded in onepiece, and is provided with a flat base portion 2 which, when the deviceis attached to the cigarette package, is disposed flatwisely against aface of the package, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2:

The base portion 2 may be slotted at 6 for lightness. The device, in theform disclosed, is substantially T-shaped, and at one end is providedwith the integrally-formed bar or member 3 formed with alongitudinally-extending slot 4, so that said member 3 is in effect aloop which embraces the covering l3 of the match book l2, as hereafterdescribed. At its opposite end, the base portion 2 is turned over asindicated at 1 to provide a downwardly-extending tongue 8 which isadapted, when the device is attached to a cigarette package, to beinserted into the package between the cigarettes l l and the papercovering or wrapping of the package, as shown in Fig. 4.

The device is thus in the nature of a clip which is attached to thecigarette package by being clipped over the wrapping of the same, andsince the tongue 8 is resiliently urged toward the back face of the baseportion 2, the wrapper inserted between the back face of the base 2 andthe tongue 8 will be firmly gripped between these parts and thedevicethus securely, yet detachably,aflixed to the cigarette package.

The loop member 3, which is disposed transversely of the package, asshown in Fig. 1, extends slightly angularly forwardly from the baseportion 2, it being bent to this slight angularity as at 5. This permitseasy insertion of the covering 13 of the match book through the slot 4,which will, because of the slight angular disposition of the loop member3, frictionally engage the surface of the match book covering and resisttoo-free sliding movement of the covering through the slot 4.

From the foregoing, the operation of the device will be readilyunderstood. When a new package of cigarettes is purchased and it isdesired to attach the match book holder to it, a small slit or openingis provided in the top of the wrapper of the package with the fingernail, and the end of the tongue 8 is inserted in the small slit-openingthus made. It will be observed that the end 15 of the tongue 8 istapered so that only a small opening need be made in the wrapper whichwill be enlarged by the tongue as shown at M, as the tongue 8 is thrustinside of the package between the cigarettes and the papel wrapping. Thetongue 8 is made very thin withcut damaging the cigarettes. If desired,the tongue can be inserted between the outer wrapper 9 and the liningpaper I0 to be thereby kept out of contact with the cigarettes. With thedevice clipped to the cigarette package in the manner described, a matchbook is inserted in the holder by having its covering thrust upwardlythrough the slot 4 to the position shown in Fig; 2, the cover beingfrictionally held by the slot. It will be noted that the slot isslightly longer, than the width of the match book covering to enable thematch book to be shifted angularly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.2 This flexibility of attachment of the match book enables the user toshift or swing the match book with relation to the cigarette package toa position most convenient to him, thus enabling him to extract a matchfrom the book and strike a light, yet maintaining the match book at alltimes attached to the cigarette package.

Since the device is attached to the covering or wrapping of the package,it will remain secure ly attached to the package regardless of thenumber of cigarettes remaining in the package. In other words, theremoval of cigarettes from and smooth to facilitate the easy insertionof it the package and the resultant flattening of the package because ofthe decrease in its contents will have no efiect upon the security ofattachment of the device to the package.

With the match book attached to the cigarette package in the mannershown, the matches and the cigarettes are always held together, so thatconvenience in smoking will result.

While I have shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, it isobvious that the same may be greatly modified without departing from thespirit of the invention. Since the device is made from a single piece ofmaterial, it can be made inexpensively, if desired, or it may b made asan article of jewelry by making it of precious metal and embellishing ordecorating it in many interesting ways.

What I claim is:

1. A match book holder for cigarette packages comprising, a doubled-overtongue portion having a front part and a rear part, the rear partconstituting a single prong entrant into the cigarette package from oneend of the package to clip the covering of the package between it andthe front part, the front part overlying a face of the cigarette packageand provided at its lower end with a forwardly-tilted integral cross barof considerably less width than the width of the tongue, said cross barbeing provided with a slot extending transversely of the cigarettepackage to which the holder is attached, said slot receiving andcompletely surrounding the back portion of the match book covering, saidslot loosely receiving the covering of the match book whereby the matchbook may be angularly shifted by the fingers while remaining in theslot, to facilitate convenient striking of a match while the match bookremains attached to the cigarette package.

2. A match book holder for cigarette packages comprising, a doubled-overtongue portion constituting a single-prong clip for engagement with thecovering of a cigarette package, one end of said tongue being providedwith a slender, forwardly-tilted cross-piece having a slot through whichthe back portion of the match book covering extends to hold the matchbook attached to the face of the cigarette package.

3. A match book holderv for cigarette packages comprising, adoubled-over tongue portion constituting a single-prong clip forengagement with the covering of a cigarette package, one end of saidtongue being provided with a slender, forwardly-tilted cross-piecehaving a slot through which the back portion of the match book coveringextends to hold the match book attached to the face of the cigarettepackage, said slot loosely receiving the match book covering to therebypermit angular shifting of the match book within the slot while strikinga match.

4. A match book holder for cigarette packages comprising, a doubled-overtongue portion constituting a single-prong clip for engagement with thecovering of a cigarette package, one end of said tongue being providedwith a slender crosspiece, the cross-piece being integral with thetongue and being of less width than the tongue and being provided with anarrow slot loosely receiving the match book cover and through which apart of the match book cover is extended to maintain the match bookagainst the face of the cigarette package.

5. A match book holder for cigarette packages, as provided for in claim4, and in which the of a cigarette package, said holder having a 10spring clip at its opposite end, said clip including a single tongueentrant into the package between the covering of the package and thecigarettes therein, the slot through which the covering of the matchbook extends loosely receiving said covering whereby the match book maybe angularly shifted within the slot by the fingers of the user topermit convenience in striking a match while the match book remainsattached to the cigarette package.

CORNELIUS J. DONOVAN.

